Horse named after amusing Nicky Henderson Cheltenham Festival blooper makes debut

A horse named after an amusing blooper by Nicky Henderson has made its debut for the trainer.

Fishcake ran in the Bet At racingtv.com Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race at Wincanton on Thursday.

A half-sister to dual Cheltenham Festival winner Monkfish, she rather flopped under Nico de Boinville.

After going off half a point longer than the 7-2 winner Dollar Brae in the betting, the mare took a prominent position in the FB Racing colours.

Pushed along over two furlongs from the finish, the five-year-old was outpaced by the leaders.

On this occasion she could not place and finished seventh, suggesting she would be better for the experience.

Connections named the horse after an interview Henderson chuckled his way through.

He was talking to Mick Fitzgerald on Sky Sports Racing about one of trainer Willie Mullins' big hopes for the Cheltenham Festival.

“We named her after the interview Nicky did with Mick Fitzgerald on At The Races where he couldn’t remember what Monkfish was called," said David Greenway, spokesman for the owners.

“He called him ‘Fishcake’ and ‘Fishpond’ but we plumped for ‘Fishcake’. It was all a bit tongue in cheek.

“We decided to send her to Nicky though as we thought we would go to the best man in this country at training fillies.”

The club's members have already celebrated a Cheltenham winner this season with a horse from Mullins' Irish yard.

Stormy Ireland was a brave winner of the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle.

Fishcake may one day race at the track where her relative, a Gold Cup horse of the future, took the 2020 Albert Bartlett hurdle and 2021 Brown Advisory novices' chase.

Time will tell whether she makes the grade, but Greenway hopes the Seven Barrows newcomer can pick up a few races.

“She